Dispensing device having solenoid operated plunger and valve



Dec. 25, 1951 J, cc L 2,580,256

DISPENSING .DEVICE HAVING SOLENOID OPERATED PLUNGER AND VALVE Filed April 11, 1946 2 SHEETSQ-SHEET 1 1 4 p I o 23 y :9 :INVENTOR. 22 4 ANDREW J. TACCHELLA 0 BY V ATTORNES'I A. J- TACCHEL'LA DISPENSING DEVICE HAVING SOLENOID Dec. 25, 1951 OPERATED PLUNGER AND VALVE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed April 11, 1946 INVENTOR.

ANDREW J. TACCHELLA ATTORNEY V Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES DISPENSING DEVICE HAVING SOLENOID OPERATED PLUNGER AND VALVE Andrew J. Tacchella, Portland, 0reg., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Steady-Flow Freezer 00., a corporation of Oregon Application April 11, 1946, Serial No. 661,284

This invention relates to dispensing devices and more particularly to such devices which are adapted fordispensing semi-fluent material, such as ice cream, in measured quantities.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device that is capable of dispensing a liquid or semi-liquid product, as for instance soft ice cream, in a measured amount.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device that is readily adjustable during operation to vary the amount of product dispensed in each cycle of operation. In the case of ice cream, it is desirable to dispense an exact amount in each dispensing operation.

The foregoing objects, in accordance with the present invention, are accomplished by using a 12 Claims. (Cl. 222-76) I float mechanism in combination with a mecha- V nism for opening and closing an intake and discharge port of a measuring chamber.

The novel features that are considered charac= teristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from'the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of the head of a typical ice cream freezer having my new and improved dispensing device mounted thereon, partially broken away for convenience of illustration.

Figure 2 is the same view as that of Figure 1 except that the intake port into the measuring chamber is opened and the frozen product is'being discharged from the freezer into the measuring device prior to being dispensed from the measuring device. v

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of my new and improved measuring device mounted to the front end of a freezer.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4, except that the parts are shown in the positions illustrated in Figure 2.

'- Referring now to the drawings; a container I,

such as an ice cream freezing unit, is provided with the usual front gate 2 having an opening 3 for discharging the contained product. The usual means for discharging and dispensing the product is simply a pivotal gate covering this opening and selectively operated by a lever to uncover the opening. 7,

The present invention comprises a measuring chamber defined by a box-like container 4 to be operatively mounted on the front of the gate 2 and open to the opening 3. A valve or gate 5 is slidable within-suitable grooves 6-of the box '4 the underside of the boss 8.

which position the gate valve 5 against the face of the gate 2 for efficient cooperation with the opens ing 3. A bracket 7 extends forwardly from the top of the gate valve 5 and has a bearing or boss 8 formed on its outerfend for slidably supporting a rod 9 which is adapted to move vertically up and down within the container 4. The lower end of the rod is fixedly mounted to a float, plunger or piston Ill, which is of a size and shape to snugly fit and seal with the inner walls of the container 4, but which slides freely along said walls.

A spring II is mounted to the rod 9 and rests on the flange nut 12, which is adjustable on the rod 9. The upper end of the spring bears against The rod 9 has a knob or enlarged portion l3 formed on its upper end to retain the rod in the boss 8 when the gate 5 is raised. The bottom of the box container 4 is open for dispensing the product discharged through the opening 3, and a second gate valve I4 closes the bottom of the container l, said valve I4 working within grooves I5 along the bottom edges of the container 4. The box container 4. piston Ill and gate valve l4 cooperate in defining a measuring chamber 3 l When a dispensing operation takes place, it is desirable to first close the dispensing valve gate M. This is accomplished by the operation of the lever [6, which is pivotally mounted at H to a guideway l8. Working within the guideway I8 is a cam, which is operated by solenoids 2D and 2|, each woundin the opposite direction to provide two-way movement of their core 23 which is connected with the cam Hi.

When the switch 22 is closed by an operator, it closes an electric circuit through the solenoid 2 |,'pulling the core 23 and the cam l9 to the left from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2. The cam slot 24 is provided with a cam surface 24' which is operative, first, to move the lever Hi from the position shown in Figure 1 to that shown in Figure 2, closing the gate [4, after which the cam slot surface 25 will maintain the lever in this position. On further travel of the cam 19, the lever 25 will be raised by the cam surface 24' to the position of that shown in Figure 2 raising and opening the gate 5, and at the same time raising the float or piston I 0 therewith.

The lever 26 is pivotally mounted at 21 to the guideway l8 and has a cam follower 28 working within the cam slot 24 and as the cam slot surface 24' contacts the follower 28 it will also raise 'the lever 26. The end 29 of the lever 26 co-acts with the bearing or boss 8 by way of the wrist pins 30 raising or lowering the gate 5 therewith.

When the gate I4 is closed, then the gate 5 is opened simultaneously with the raising of the float, causing a vacuum within the lower part of the chamber 3| which creates a suction that assists in moving theproduct into this said chamejected or withdrawn, said device comprising a measuring container into which the semi-fluid is received from the container outlet in the dispensing operation, a gate for controlling the flow through said opening, said measuring container having an outlet port and a gate for controlling the dispensing of the product therethrough, a plunger in said container engageable with the product as it is received into the measuring container and operable to eject the product therefrom, electromagnetic means for operating said gates including a core having connections with the gates for first closing the measuring container outlet gate and opening the fluid container gate, a solenoid operable when energized to move said core for said operations, a second solenoid operable to reverse the movement of the core for successively closing the container outlet gate and opening the measuring container outlet gate, and means for operating said plunger to eject the contents from the measuring container upon the opening of its outlet gate.

8. A dispensing device for semi-fluids such as ice cream and the like from a container having an outlet through which the semi-fluid may be ejected or withdrawn, said device comprising a measuring container into which the semi-fluid is received from the container outlet in the dispensing operation, a gate for controlling the flow through said opening, said measuring container having an outlet port and a gate for controlling the dispensing of the product therethrough, a plunger in said container engageable with the product as it is received into the measuring container and operable to eject the product therefrom, electromagnetic means for operating said gates including a core having connections with the gates for first closing the measuring container outlet gate and opening the fluid container gate, a solenoid operable when energized to move said core for said operations, a starting switch for energizing said solenoid, a second solenoid operable to reverse the movement of the core for successively closing the container outlet gate and opening the measuring container outlet gate, a switch engageable by the plunger when the product fills the measuring container a predetermined amount for energizing said second solenoid, and means for operating said plunger to eject the contents from the measuring container upon the opening of its outlet gate.

9. A dispensing device for semi-fluids such as ice-cream and the like from a container having an outlet through which the semi-fluid may be ejected or withdrawn, said device comprising a measuring container into which the semi-fluid is received from the container outlet in the dispensing operation, a gate for controlling the flow through said opening, said measuring container having an outlet port and a gate for controlling the dispensing of the product therethrough, a plunger in said container engageable with the product as it is received into the dispensing container and operable to eject the product therefrom, electromagnetic means for operating said gates including a core having connections with the gates for first closing the measuring container outlet gate and opening the fluid container gate, a solenoid operable when energized to move said core for saidoperations, a starting switch for energizing said solenoid, a second solenoid operable to reverse the movement of the core for successively closing the container outlet gate and opening the measuring container outlet gate, a switch engageable by the plunger when the product fills the measuring container a predetermined amount for energizing said second solenoid, means for movably mouning said switch so that it may be moved with respect to its point of engagement by the plunger whereby the amount of the product to be dispensed may be variably adjusted, and means for operating said plunger to eject the contents from the measuring container upon the opening of its outlet gate.

10. A dispensing device for semi-fluids such as ice-cream and the like, comprising an upright container having an entrance opening in its side and a dispensing opening at its bottom, a vertically sliding gate for said entrance opening, a horizontally sliding gate for said dispensing opening, a vertically movable plunger in said container, said plunger being connected by an upright rod in sliding engagement with said entrance gate, means for elevating the gate and the plunger therewith and for closing said gate, means for closing and opening said dispensing opening gate, and a spring on said upright rod between said plunger and said gate connection to depress the plunger after the entrance gate is closed and the dispensing gate is open to eject the contents through the dispensing opening from said container.

11. A device as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for operating said gates and plunger comprises separate levers operable to reciprocate the gates, a reciprocable cam having cam surfaces cooperating with said levers successively upon movement in one direction and successively in reverse order on movement in the other direction, means for operating said cam comprising a reciprocable magnetic core, and a pair of solenoids having separate energizing circuits for effecting the reciprocation of the core and cam members.

12. A device as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for operating said gates and plunger comprises separate levers operable to reciprocate the gates, a, reciprocable cam having cam surfaces cooperating with said levers successively upon movement in one direction and successively in reverse order on movement in the other direction, means for operating said cam comprising a reciprocable magnetic core, a pair of solenoids having separate energizing circuits for effecting the reciprocation of the core and cam members, a manually operable switch operable to energize one of said solenoids for closing the container outlet gate and opening the inlet gate thereof, and a switch operated by the plunger upon the filling of the container for energizing the other solenoid.

ANDREW J. 'IACCHELLA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,470,381 Lamb Oct. 9, 1923 1,475,341 Hanson Nov. 27, 1923 1,635,220 Palmer July 12, 1927 1,663,590 Gourdon Mar. 27, 1928 1,695,501 Opitz Dec. 18, 1928 1,801,447 Muzzy Apr. 21, 1931 2,110,328 Drese Mar: 8, 1933 2,326,302 Lindstedt Aug.'::10, 1943 2,396,527 Osborne Mari l2, 1946 

